


Elixir of Ails

by clexa_rules_the_earth



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst, Drunk Kara, F/F, Noonans, Sanvers - Freeform, SuperCorp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-26
Updated: 2018-09-07
Packaged: 2018-10-24 03:30:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10733241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clexa_rules_the_earth/pseuds/clexa_rules_the_earth
Summary: Passing out on the floor of her apartment was something she had never experienced. Drinking at Noonans, her friends. Everything was so clouded.As she woke up the sharp throbbing in her chest caused her to wince. She attempted to lift herself up, but her arms shook violently and sent her back to the ground.What had she drank. Why couldn't she remember anything.





	1. The Night Before

**Author's Note:**

  * For [My best friend Matt](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=My+best+friend+Matt).



Now... Kara was realizing that hiding behind a concrete wall was going to do absolutely nothing. Her moment of enlightenment was interrupted by a Valeric smashing a hole through the wall a few feet to her left. She quickly jumped after him, catching him by the leg a moment before he would have hit the side of Poppers, a great pizza place, and threw him into the air. As he reached the height of his climb Kara caught him again, and with a sharp right hook sent him back towards the earth. She landed with full force on his chest, pushing him four feet into the asphalt below.

 

"Supergirl!" She turned and saw her sister, followed closely by a squadron of DEO agents jogging over.

 

"You're good to go?"

 

"Yup, we're prepped and ready for transport."

 

"Alright, I'll see you back at home… DEO," she said with too big a smile.

 

"Stop by the office when we've got him settled in his new room."

 

"Will do agent Danvers."

 

Alex looked amused for a moment but wiped the expression quickly as she turned around to face her soldiers.

 

Kara headed home and grabbed a box of pizza and a bag of pot stickers for good measure. She swung herself over the arm of the sofa and sighed. Another bad guy away, another day saved. She sat on the couch in her suit and ate half of the pizza in a few seconds and paused to turn on the TV. She ate the rest of her pizza at a semi-human rate and half paid attention to the episode of ‘National City's Richest'.

 

Just as she finished her potstickers her phone started to play the mission impossible theme song. Without even looking at the ID she answered, "Hey Alex. You guys wrapped up?"

 

"Yup. Why don't you…"

 

"Head on over?" Kara, at Alex's side, now clean and dressed, interrupted.

 

"You know I hate when you do that."

 

"Exactly," Kara replied and laughed at her sister's grumpy face. "So… what did you guys have planned?"

 

"Well," chimed Winn spinning away from his desk in a rolling chair. "We were thinking about getting a drink to celebrate."

 

"I'm up for it, but I hope you guys have a place in mind."

 

Now Kara knew she couldn't get drunk on Earth. So did her friends, (who did try persistently) so she hoped that they had something else to do. Sometimes her friends would invite her out for a drink and end up having fun while she sits on her phone or talks with some drunk trying to get lucky. Kara had tried drinking some of the strongest liquor on the planet (which she had to fly halfway around the world to find) and it had made her feel like she was drinking bad water which only provided her with a bad taste in her mouth, much less any form of intoxication.

 

Maggie, Alex's new cop friend was apparently coming along too and had given them all directions a bar that she said was ‘like nothing they had ever seen'. When they arrived, Kara realized that apparently, Alex had been to this place before as she was able to give the required password at the door. Winn, however, like her didn't seem to know what this place was.

 

"It's an alien dive bar," said Maggie, answering their unasked question, "A girlfriend of mine introduced me to the place and I fell in love with it. I don't think that I have gone to a human bar in a long time. If I'm going to be honest though, the drinks here are out of this world. Just be careful that you know what's in your drink. Some of this stuff can really mess humans up."

 

Winn just looked around with awe and whispered, "Woah".

 

As Kara took in the place she was amazed that such a thing existed on Earth. Although it apparently was an alien bar, there were a few humans other than her friends. It warmed her heart to see them conversing and laughing with someone from a different world.

 

One day maybe everything will be like this, she thought to herself with a smile.

 

"First round's on me!" said Winn, who practically jogged towards the bar.

 

Both of the Danvers sisters laughed at Winn and followed along with Maggie.

 

"What do you recommend officer?" Winn asked with a giant smile.

 

"You wouldn't like it," Maggie returned with a smirk.

 

"The gauntlet has been thrown. What's it called?"

 

"The Peacekeeper." Maggie crossed her arms and beamed as Winn ordered one from the alien working the bar.

 

When the drink was placed in front of Winn he looked up at Maggie with feigned shock, "It's pink! Maggie Sawyer drinks a pink drink!"

 

"Looks can be deadly."

 

Alex nodded quickly at the officer's remark, most likely from experience, Kara guessed.

 

"We'll see about that," Winn said before raising the small glass towards the three girls and threw the whole thing back.

 

The realization of his mistake passed over his features no less than a moment after his shot. He coughed and heaved at the floor below him.

 

Maggie and Alex burst into a fit of laughter.

 

"Winn! Are you okay!" Kara stepped forward and put a hand on his back.

 

"She…" he heaved, "Is insane."

 

"I told you, it's strong. Maybe you're more of a fruity kinda guy."

 

"Hey!" Winn gasped but didn't contradict.

 

Kara laughed at him and stood back up to face her sister, who was trying to contain herself. Alex teased him all the time at the DEO but Kara knew that she had a bit of a soft spot for her best friend.

 

"C'mon Maggie, let's play a game of pool. Loser buys the winner a drink."

 

"Danvers that's not fair, I can't have you buying me drinks all night."

 

Alex grabbed Maggie's forearm and pulled her lightly towards an empty table. Maggie pushed her arm off but playfully bumped her as they walked.

 

Kara watched as her sister said something that made Maggie laugh as she lined up her first shot.

 

Winn ordered a human drink, and went up to somebody across the bar and leaned against the table. He didn't get shoved off immediately which made Kara smile. She liked it when her best friend was having a good time.

 

All of a sudden, she found herself under the realization that there was nothing else planned. Maybe Alex just assumed because it was an alien bar Kara would enjoy herself more. They would drink and they would have fun. While Kara could normally hang out with her sister and have a great night that way, both Alex and Winn were occupied with other people which left her in an all too familiar predicament.

 

After a moment, she decided that she might as well try what they had here. Whenever she went to a bar, while the others drank alcohol, she always ordered a club soda. For some reason, tonight she felt like the idea of drinking alcohol might make her feel a bit better. Maybe get a placebo going.

 

She sat down at one of the barstools and clasped her hands on the bar, although she regretted the decision when her hands landed in something that resembled maple syrup. This was a totally different kind of bar so she couldn't be sure as to what the substance was. The bartender appeared in front of her as she pulled her hands out of the sticky mess. He had blue skin, not with scales, but not with skin like humans anyway. He had two small ram-like horns along with orange eyes.

 

"What can I get for you ma'am?" he croaked.

 

"I'll have the strongest thing you've got."

 

"You sure?"

 

"On this planet, I've got nothing to worry about. I'd start a tab." She whispered.

 

"We'll see soon enough," he said with a small grin.

 

She watched in awe as his arms, the only human-like aspect he had, quickly peeled and split into six identical ones. To be fair, it's no wonder he became a bartender on this planet. Every arm had the ability to perform separate tasks. He could have made three drinks at one time if he wanted to, but at the moment Kara just watched in amazement as he poured ingredients that she had never heard of into the cocktail shaker in front of him. He shook the container with one of his hands and prepared a glass for her in front of him with two others. Adding two drops of a clear liquid before opening the shaker and emptying a portion of the contents into the glass.

 

Before he placed the drink in front of her, his arms molded and turned into the two that he had had before. He also picked up a little yellow umbrella that you would put in a drink if you were on vacation on an island or something. Kara laughed as he dropped it comically into her drink.

 

"Here it is ma'am," he said, "would you like anything else?"

 

"It's Kara," she said with a smile, "and not at the moment thank you."

 

"Gus." He said while sticking out a hand in her direction. She took it and shook his hand, watching it carefully as she did so.

 

"Nice to meet you."

 

"You as well Ms. Kara."

 

Spinning around on her seat she saw that Alex and Maggie were pulling a pretty even game, Alex however, slightly in the lead.

 

"If I didn't know any better Sawyer I would say that you're trying to buy me a drink."

 

"Oh, I don't think so Danvers. I've got a reputation to uphold with the ladies around here."

 

"We'll see."

 

She smiled at her sister because Kara didn't think that she had ever seen Alex smile and laugh with someone like seemed to be doing with Maggie

 

She noticed that Winn and the person that he was previously talking to had disappeared from where she had last seen them. Based on previous experiences with a lost Winn, it was better on her part to not use her x-ray vision to try and find him. This is a bar and he is a mature, consenting adult.

 

Meanwhile, she gazed down into her drink and wished that she could go home and watch trash TV while she ate all the food in her apartment. In longing admiration for her kitchen, she removed the colorful decoration and quickly downed the glass.

 

After a few moments of waiting she still didn't feel anything. She didn't know why she had hoped for anything different than the usual. Although it hadn't done anything to her it proved a decent tasting drink.

 

She spun around gracefully and flagged Gus down. After he finished with a few other customers he made his way over.

 

"I see you have changed your mind. What'll it be?"

 

"I'll take two more of the same," she said while holding up two fingers towards him.

 

"You sure?" He asked.

 

"Why not?" She replied with a shrug.

 

She watched in equal amazement as the time before as he made her two new drinks.

 

When he placed them in front of her she downed both concoctions before condensation had time to form on the glass.

 

"Woah," she said as she felt a slight buzz run through her head that made her feel slightly lightheaded. She grabbed onto the underside of the bar to steady herself. There were probably dents from where her fingers dug into the wood, but who looks at the underside of bar anyway.

 

She had never experienced anything like this in her entire life, she was curious and amazed that something on this earth could give her the feeling that all her friends had explained to her. She sat for a little while and just enjoyed the pleasant effects of whatever this was. It wasn't until maybe 15 or 20 minutes after downing her last drink that Kara started to realize that she may have been in over her head.

 

Through the haze that had started washing over her, she called, "GUZZ!" she stood up slightly from her seat to see Gus and all but screamed at him repeatedly till he looked at her.

 

Gus was currently making three people's drinks at once. When Kara yelled at him he raised one of his hands to signal that he had heard her. While waiting, Kara reached over the bar and grabbed a dozen or so sheets of paper towels and placed them on the annoying sticky spot in front of her that didn't seem to want to leave her alone. She drummed her thumbs in front of her for a moment then pulled out her phone.

 

No Notifications. She texted Alex whose contact name was "BAMF". Kara had no idea what it meant because Alex typed it in one day and told her to keep it. She just said "HI" in capital letters and giggled to herself like she had just done something nefarious.

 

"Ms. Kara, still upright I see."

 

"Of course, I would be Guzz, the floor doesn't look comfortable at all." Kara slurred the bartenders' name and he smiled at the fact.

 

"I will take dos mor-io por favor-io."

 

"Of the same thing ma'am?"

 

Kara pulled herself closer to the bartender and whispered, "Listen, listen, listen. Guzz, we're friends now, that means we can tell each other things, right?"

 

"Ma'am?"

 

Gus leaned back slightly away from the Kryptonian.

 

Kara pulled herself further over the edge and continued to whisper, "We're friends man. Call me Kar-io. That's my stage name."

 

"Stage name?"

 

"Sometimes…" she giggled, "I do karaoke on Sundays."

 

"Sounds fun ma'am."

 

"It’s Kar-io, Guzz. You have to remember these kinds of things because we're best pals." She gasped loudly, "You know what we should do?"

 

Gus just stared blankly at her.

 

She continued to whisper, "We should do karaoke together, I will text you the place."

 

"Sounds good… Kar-io." He said, knowing that this person did not, in fact, have his number and would not be texting him for a casual karaoke night.

 

"Will you please start on my drinks already. You are a wonderful friend, but a bit of a slow bartender if I do say so myself."

 

"I will try to do better next time." Gus tried not to laugh at the girl's obvious state.

 

Kara spent the next thirty seconds looking at the ceiling and asking six-armed Gus if he had finished yet.

 

When he finally placed the two drinks side by side in front of her she downed the first one instantly, she pointed at him with the empty glass still in her hand and said, "Man…" she paused, "I mean, whatever you are… you make a damn good…" she looked at the empty glass and Gus several times before asking, "What's this thing called?"

 

"It was given the nickname ‘Elixir of Ails.'"

 

She took the second glass of Ails and held it up to the light, watching the liquid seem to almost glow purple with an unearthly aspect. It was pretty good for a drink here on earth.

 

"We are in an Alien bar ma'am, therefore," Gus gestured vaguely at her empty glasses, "a special assortment of beverages," he said knowingly.

 

"It's like you read my mind Guzz."

 

"I happen to be slightly, a little bit… telepathic."

 

"YOU DIDN'T TELL ME THIS GUZZ WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE BESTEST FRIENDS."

 

"A lot of people don't like it when I openly read their thoughts."

 

"You can read my thoughts anytime Guzz."

 

"Thank you?"

 

"Wait…" Kara paused, "Why do you even ask people what they want if you already know? Seems redundant silly goose."

 

"Asking is more of a polite formality."

 

Kara just beamed at him for a while.

 

After a minute of staring at him her phone buzzed in her back pocket which startled her rocky persona so much that she nearly hit the ceiling. Literally. She saw who the text was from and whipped around to see her sister sitting in a booth with Maggie.

 

She stomped over to her sister with pseudo-anger.

 

"Alexxxx. You can't just text me like that. You know how easily I get scared. Plus, you interrupted my talking to my bestest new friend Guzz."

 

"First off," Alex began, "You texted me. Even though we are in the same room. So, I decided to text you back, and you get surprised?"

 

Alex's entire sentence was too confusing for her to register so she stood for a moment and then said, "Yeah, exactly."

 

"You seem different.", Alex quipped.

 

"What about me is different?"

 

Maggie laughed into her drink at the oblivious girl who was obviously drunker than she had ever hoped to be, "Kara you're a bit slower than normal."

 

"But I got here so fast!" Kara pouted.

 

"Are you drunk?" Alex asked.

 

"I don't know guyz it's really a toss-up at this point I think. I had this drink that Guzz over there made me and it's apparently the strongest thing that they've got here."

 

"The Elixir thing?" asked Maggie from behind Alex.

 

"Yeah, I think that's what he said."

 

"Kara. Be extremely careful with that stuff. One time I watched someone have one shot of that stuff and thirty minutes later they passed out after having some weird hallucinations."

 

"Cool," Kara said with interest.

 

"No. Not cool," Maggie replied, "This different guy Deric ordered some of the stuff and ended up comatose for three weeks after a single shot. Apparently different aliens have different tolerance to it. I would hate to see what would happen to a human."

 

"Well, I'm fine. This is my fifth anyway. I think."

 

"You've drunk four of those?!" Maggie practically shouted at her.

 

"What's the big deal?"

 

"Kara. You're joking right. You're human!"

 

"I'll be fine guys don't even worry about me. You two have fun." She waved at the two girls innocently but if she was paying attention she would have seen both girls blush slightly at the comment not letting the other see.

 

She felt her coordination dissipate slowly as she leaned dangerously sometimes. Even though it was a short walk it took a lot to not get up close and personal with the floor.

 

Her movements became more relaxed and fluid. She didn't have anything on her mind, and the worries and repercussions of being drunk for the first time didn't seem to bother her at all.

 

She reached out with her hand and used her arm to sit ever so gracefully onto one of the barstools as she finished off the last of her drink.

 

Gus came up to her and grabbed her empty glass, putting it in the first tub of the triple sink behind him.

 

"Are you doing okay Ms. Kara?"

 

"I'm doing great. Thank you, Guzz. Could I get another drink pleaseeee?" She asked with pleading eyes.

 

"I will not be responsible for giving you any more Ails. I can get you something else if you would like."

 

Kara scrunched up her nose. "In that case, I have a club thoda," she spoke, interrupted by a small hiccup, but Gus was amazed that the girl was conscious at this point. He had never met anybody that had ever drunk more than one.

 

Gus handed her the drink and said, "One club soda for the lady."

 

She smiled and giggled lightly to herself as she swayed lightly in her seat.

 

"Sup Kara." Winn jumped into the seat next to her and smiled a mischievous toothy grin.

 

"Do I even want to know?" Kara asked hesitantly.

 

"Knowing you, probably not."

 

Suddenly a sharp voice cried out from across the bar, "You think that you can talk to her like that you asshole!"

 

Alex was snarling at a big, burly, somewhat familiar Valeric who was a foot and a half taller than her. She had her index finger against his abdomen and her other hand balled into a fist.

 

"That guy better watch out."

 

"Why? He's huge!" Kara said frantically.

 

"I mean you're right, but I've been warned about her fingers." Winn seemed to go back to that moment for a second before he came back to meet Kara’s questioning glance.

 

"Altin!"

 

The entire bar stopped. A pool ball dropped into a pocket while everyone waited for what was next.

 

"Don't bother." Two words, two words that caused the giant to back away from her sister. Maggie came forward suddenly and pulled Alex across the bar gingerly so the redhead could decompress.

 

Kara studies the girl who stopped the fight before it began. She's in the furthest corner from of the room from Kara. She sits there with dark hair and dark lipstick and dark alcohol. Kara can see why everyone stalled. Even if her image at this point is really fuzzy, Kara watches the confident way the girl is slouched back with her drink cradled against her shoulder. Kara thinks she's never seen anyone wearing skinny jeans look so regal and so dangerous at the same time. The glare etched into her face is a clear warning for anyone who might step forward to her.

 

But the Ails has thinned Kara's already questionable decision-making skills; she's always been blunt and right now she can't take that warning as anything less than a challenge.

 

She grabs Winn's wrist and pulls him forward. "C'mon."

 

The walk over is shorter than she initially thought. She sees the girl watch her approach every step of the way. Kara doesn't really have time to come up with anything to say before they're standing in front of her, not that it would have been something entirely eloquent otherwise.

 

Kara freezes in front of her, trying to come up with something.

 

"Uh, hi."

 

The girl raises an eyebrow without response. Right at her side, the alien who could have destroyed Alex is equally reticent.

 

"I'm Kara, and this is Winn." Next to her Winn waved sheepishly.

 

They both nod. "Lena," she says. "You know Altin."

 

It's not exactly welcoming. They fall silent, and she flicks her gaze up and down Kara's body, waiting expectantly.

 

Kara is doing the same. In fact, though she blames her own wretched communication skills partially on the Ails, she's also struck dumb by how good this girl... Lena looks as she reclines in her rusting, wooden chair as if it's a throne, fingers resting on her glass on the table. She's lean, beautifully pale, with long legs kicked up on the chair in front of her. A white t-shirt a size too big hangs loosely from her slim body; beneath the collar, the edge of black lace is just barely visible, accentuating the shape of her collarbone while a single strap was visibly pushed off her shoulder.

 

Kara had a wild urge to reach forward and pull at the collar of the shirt, to reveal more. She says a prayer of thanks that Gus had cut her off from any more Ails. She couldn't control her thoughts.

 

Nonetheless, against the nonchalant style of this girl, Kara feels suddenly self-conscious, in her pink sweater and maroon jeans. She had no idea what was happening within her head. She would have continued gaping dumbly had Winn not elbowed her in the side.

 

"We, uh…we just wanted to apologize. For what happened."

 

"Why?" Lena replied simply, not seeming to be genuinely interested while she took a sip of her drink.

 

"My sister." Kara gestured vaguely behind her where she last saw Alex.

 

Lena's face suddenly breaks the smallest of smirks for a reason unknown to Kara but doesn't answer her.

 

"Well I'll be over…" she turned around and slightly pointed as best she could to the bar, "there if you… uhh."

 

"Want something?" Lena interests her.

 

Kara whipped around too fast and nearly saw spots but felt her face get remarkably hot as Lena stared at her.

 

Winn coughed twice, the first time Kara couldn't register anything other than the other girl's eyes. His second came more aggressively which yanked Kara out of her staring contest.

 

After practically dragging Kara back to the bar, Winn collapsed over it and held up his arm. Gus didn't seem to catch this, so Kara raised her hand for him and flagged him down. 

 

"Ms. Kara" Gus addressed her. 

 

"My friend here would like one of his drinks."

 

"Are you alright Ms?" Gus asked, glancing briefly at the seat next to her, "Your thoughts are fairly strange."

 

"Well Guzz I'm having a strange night, so I'd expect nothing less."

 

Gus continued to watch her, a mix of worry and confusion on his face. He glanced over briefly to where Lena was sitting and looked down at the ground. He waited for a moment and met Kara's questioning gaze. 

 

"I'll get your... friend's drink." He said, glancing to Winn's seat.

 

He was gone for a moment and placed a beer down on the counter and gave Kara a sparing glance before returning to his other patrons.

 

Before Winn started on his drink he looked at Kara, then to the girl across the bar who always seemed to catch Kara’s, not-so-subtle glances. Speaking to his drink he shook his head and whispered, "You're so gay."

 

Kara watched the girl as well as she could. Her vision was getting progressively blurrier. She could still see her though. As she moved fluidly from her pool table to the bar, seemingly unaffected by the dark liquor she kept receiving.

 

Kara didn't register the fact that the girl now walked towards her, the only thing her mind was watching was the way she walked, with purpose, power, along with a darkness that made her swallow a lump in her throat.

 

“I’m going to the back room.”

 

Lena didn’t break stride as she brushed closely past Kara. It was not an invitation, there was no reason for Kara to want to follow the girl.

 

Normally, she would have taken her time to think about what to do. Normally, she wouldn’t have followed her. Normally, Kara would have blushed and turned away. Not now, not while the Elixir helped her become insanely impulsive. She's not sure if she minds it.

 

After thinking for roughly five seconds, Kara pushed herself to her feet and slowly walked in the direction that Lena had.

 

“Kara?” Winn questioned.

 

“I’ll be back. Promise.”

 

Winn mumbled to himself, “Yeah right.”

 

When Kara pushed the door open there was someone passed out face-down on the cheap table, surrounded by boxes filled with plastic cutlery, napkins, and foam cups. The window along the far wall was open, the cool air was amazing, she leaned toward it and took a few deep breaths. Her head felt a bit better but she still had to lean against the window frame because she didn’t trust herself nearly enough to stay upright on her own.

 

“Kara?”

 

“Wha?”

 

She spun around and Lena is there, close, really close, her features, dark and dangerous, are razor sharp in Kara’s otherwise blurred vision. Her gaze dropped to Lena’s parted lips, straight teeth just barely visible behind them, and as Lena leans in to whisper in Kara’s ear, all she can imagine is all the words she’d love to hear breathed past those lips.

 

Instead…

 

“Are you okay?”

 

The words aren’t as surprising as the almost nervous way in which they tumble out of Lena’s mouth, as if Kara were going to turn and run. She nods quickly and answers, “No. Yeah. I’m fine. I’m fine. This… Is great.”

 

Reassured, Lena pulled back. Kara catches her wrist and Lena freezes, just far enough away for them to look each other in the eye.

 

“But is there anywhere more private?” Glancing sideways at the man sprawled over the table.

 

Kara didn’t expect the words to come out of her mouth. The hand not currently around Lena’s wrist covered her mouth as if she had spoken a curse. Lena smiled mischievously and slid her hand into Kara’s. Looking at their intertwined fingers Kara felt her stomach plummet and her heart leap into her throat.

 

Lena lead almost pulled her towards the exit. But when they finally got outside and Lena shut the door behind them and plunged them into the darkness, everything on the other side of that door stopped existing. The only thing Kara could hear is Lena’s shallow breathing.

 

She reaches out with both hands, finds Lena’s hips, and pushes her back against the brick roughly.


	2. What. The. Hell.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara's morning after going out. Lots of the hangover. Will Kara see Lena again? Idk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're anything like my best friend you're probably going to want to kill me after this chapter. lol. I had actually known what I wanted the end of this chapter to be as soon as I finished the first one.

Kara woke up with her face plastered against her living room carpet while her head throbbed so hard that she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes. Never in her entire life did she think that it was possible to feel like this. She squinted towards space in front of her and saw the grime under her couch. If she could have laughed she would have. Leave it to her to pass out next to her couch.

 

Rao this must be what it feels like to be drunk. As she found out in her late teenage years, drinking was what seemed to be an initiation into some higher social status. She was always intrigued by how people changed after they had drunk a large enough quantity. Everyone she had to help through a morning after a night of drinking had tried to describe what they felt like, as she couldn't recall having to deal with anything like it before. Apparently having a major hangover was something that all college kids seemed to have experienced. Now, she might not be in college anymore, but she figured better late than never to have her rite of passage. Finding that it was absolute hell made her wonder why people would go drinking on purpose. It seemed like more of a punishment than something she would strive to achieve.

 

Taking quick, deep breaths she tried to gather her strength because getting herself on the couch seemed like a pretty solid idea at this point. All she had to do was pull herself up. No problem. As she took one more gulp of air she pushed against the ground. She nearly cried out in pain as her arms trembled violently before giving out, sending her to the floor once again. She released a shaky breath that rattled in her chest. The entire time she had been on this planet nothing had ever stopped her, not the class bully, the weight of a car, or the shock of an explosion. She could lift a building, now she couldn't even lift herself. She took off her glasses and placed them on the couch above her.

 

What had she done? She couldn’t remember anything. What if she had done something that she’d end up regretting. She could barely think straight, but she knew that she could be in major trouble. She wished, prayed in fact, that her friends knew what had happened. All she knew was that they went to a dive bar somewhere. Also, how had she gotten home?

 

Still laying on the floor, she felt around in her pockets and found her phone. Thank god she still had it. She could barely see the blurry letters but she finally found Alex's contact info and called her number. She was about to hang up when Alex finally answered the phone.

 

“Kara?”

 

“Who’s with you?”

 

“Nobody.” it sounded as if Alex had covered the receiver of the phone as she whispered a muffled “shut up” to whoever was there.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

Her question was so loud that Kara had to pull the phone away from her ear. Either she couldn’t control her hearing, or everything was just really loud.

 

“What happened Alex?”.

 

“Do you know what happened last night Kara? I really don't know what you did. I'm slightly hungover and I can't even imagine what you're going through right now.”

 

“What do you mean?” Kara asked. “ I don’t remember anything Alex! Right now everything hurts and I don't know what I did last night and I don't know how I got home. I don't remember anything.”

 

“Well all that I know,” Alex said, “Was that you had a couple shots of this purple stuff and then you started rambling on about your best friend in the world. Now I don't know who your best friend is, but I would call Winn. He was there. I'm pretty sure he was.”

 

“How do you not know?”

 

“Well, why don't you know Kara?” Alex joked. “I didn't see him in there that much actually I just remember going in with him and he might've just bailed cause I think he found a lady friend.”

 

“Is this what a hangover feels like.”

 

“Probably. Could be worse. Alien alcohol-induced hangovers seem like they could be worse.”

 

“What do you do to get rid of one,” Kara asked.

 

“Uh, ibuprofen. Or Advil. Depends on what I have. Why? It's not like that's going to help. You would have to take at least a whole bottle, and who even knows if you would react to the medication. I would not recommend taking any medicine, Kara.”

 

“I won’t. You’re right.”

 

“When am I not?” Alex asked. Kara heard a small cry of laughter from Alex’s end.

 

Simply not bothering with the subject she said, “I'll see you sometime this week if I can manage to get myself up off the ground.”

 

"Well, I wish you the best. I love you."

 

Kara groaned I love you in response and hung up.

 

She glanced at the time before putting her phone back in her pocket. Kara was officially an hour and a half late for work. Snapper was going to kill her, but what did it matter. Instead of trying something so _intense_ as getting on her couch, she flipped herself over onto her back, which proved to be a much more comfortable position. It was easier to breathe.

 

After a few minutes of closing her eyes and steadying her breathing, she grabbed the arm of the couch and pulled herself up to a sitting position. She brought up her knees and tucked her head between them. Her head didn’t feel any better with the change in altitude. She sat upright in a fetal position for what felt like ten minutes trying to tell her head to get a grip.

 

She murmured reassurances to herself as she began to pull herself up to her feet. As soon as she was vertical, she realized she had made a mistake. All the blood in her head suddenly dropped to her feet. Everything went black and she leaned on the arm of the sofa to keep herself from passing out.

 

“Water.” Everyone she knew had said that that was a miracle cure. She may not have an Earthly headache, but nothing could possibly make it worse. The blackness slowly dissipated as blood returned to her head. Using her countertop and other various things around her apartment for support, she found her way to the sink. Not bothering with a cup she turned on the faucet and stuck her head under the nozzle. She probably drank about a gallon of water before she breathed. There were no immediate miracles, but she felt slightly more awake.

 

After tossing her phone on the counter she opened her fridge and pulled out a bag of cold potstickers. On the journey to her barstool, she grabbed a half empty box of doughnuts. It took her three minutes to eat it all. When she finished she laid her head in her hands and tried to force the headache away. Compared to how she woke up she felt better, not perfect, but she could think and walk. Two relatively important things she figured.

 

A piercing shriek made its way through her apartment. She covered her ears and rested her forehead on the bar. Her jaw clenched, her brain rattled and stung inside her skull. The sound was part of a sequence. Off. On. Off. On. Off. On. Until it stopped. She slowly uncovered her ears and waited for the pain to return. After a few moments of consistent silence, she felt it was safe. As she looked up she saw that the screen of her phone was lit up with a message. It had been her phone. “What the hell,” Kara whispered to herself. Her phone showed one missed call and voicemail from Snapper.

 

She swiped on the notification and groaned as Snapper screamed at her for being late. Threatening to fire her, put her on the sports section, among other colorful things. He finished his message with, “I swear to you Danvers if you miss your interview today I will personally kick your ass out of this building. Oh, wait. You’re not in it.”

 

Why did people have to do things? Why did she need a job? Why do people need to know what’s going on in the world? Kara was having several philosophical debates about doing things. She had an ‘exclusive’ interview this afternoon that Snapper had said other reporters would kill for. She would rather fight an alien in her current state than conduct a stupid interview.

 

She ran her fingers through her matted hair and let out a deep sigh. Still using her walls and furniture as a safety net, she made her way into her room. She stared longingly at her bed, wishing with all her might that she could swan dive into it and not leave until the next year. She pried her mind away from the subject because she knew that if she fell asleep she wouldn’t get up until the next day.

 

A shower seemed like a damn good idea. She unbuttoned her shirt and started to peel off the clothing that felt plastered to her skin. She wrapped a dark towel around her chest and made her way to the bathroom. She laid her head against the cool tile of her shower as she let the warm water rush over her. The water danced over her fingertips and crawled down her stomach as she let herself feel it all.

 

Only when her foot slipped on the ground did she realize that she had dozed off. Her tailbone collided with the ground and made a loud crunch. She grimaced and gripped the handle to the shower door to pull herself up slowly. She braced herself and looked down to find what she was afraid of. The bottom right corner of her shower now had a spider fracture around the point where she had met the ground. “Fabulous,” She said to herself.

 

She grabbed her towel and ignored her tub. As she went to grab her toothbrush she paused. Her reflection was something that shocked her. She looked… normal. Her eyes looked fine, her face wasn’t pale or gross looking, she looked fine. She was probably losing count of how many times she had said _what the hell_ to herself this morning. She poked her cheek, mostly seeing if it was real. “What. The. Hell.”

 

Okay, she had an interview at noon. It was currently 11:35 and she had almost no motivation to go anywhere. Without brushing her hair she pulled her hair into an extremely messy bun while brushing her teeth. After spitting her mouthwash into the sink she put on a black sports bra and grabbed a blue t-shirt that had “ready for action” written in big white letters on the back. She almost pulled on sweatpants, after a moment of pondering she decided on some black jeans. At least half of her could look decent. Not that she was in a particularly caring mood right now.

 

Quickly before leaving her room, she splashed cold water on her face, rubbing her eyes and the bridge of her nose. She was significantly more awake, she was not near what she would consider her ideal, but she didn’t grimace anymore at the light of the morning.

 

She pulled her glasses off the couch as she made her way to her front door. Sliding them slowly onto her face she sighed. She didn’t know that her vision had been bothering her, but the glasses made her feel a lot better. She grabbed her shoes and tied them quickly.

 

She opened her phone to the email Snapper sent. It gave her the address of the building. The address was only three blocks away. She opened the door and paused. Her stuff. She walked over to the far side of her apartment and grabbed her bag of reporting stuff.

 

As she was nearly two blocks there she realized that she had done no research whatsoever into what she had been assigned. _Crap_ , she thought. Snapper was going to kill her for this, well he would certainly try to. Snapper had been in a rush to get anyone to this interview. The need for reporting went through the roof after several alien attacks downtown. Her fellow reporters were scrambling around for first accounts and information. The interview she had been assigned seemed to not be related to the scramble. Just a normal interview.

 

She wasn't sure whether to be mad at Snapper for not giving her a decent story or to thank Rao that he did not. She wasn’t sure that she could deal with the ruckus going on downtown in her current state

 

She stopped walking and looked up at the giant building in front of her, she sun shined off of the glass and caused her head to give her a casual reminder that it was not in good shape. She tucked her head and opened the doors.

 

The lobby was large and simple, rather bland for her taste. There was a receptionist at the far end of the lobby, currently digging through a rather large pile of paperwork. As Kara approached the lady glanced at her quickly before stopping her work to slowly do a  double take. She stared, her expression blank. Kara felt wildly uncomfortable.

 

“Yes?”

 

“I'm here for an interview.”

 

The lady looked her up and down not so subtly and said hesitantly,  “top floor.”

 

“Thanks,” Kara said.

 

As she stepped into the elevator she saw the receptionist check a  calendar in front of her before glancing at Kara one more time.

 

It was a long ride up. There were no buttons on the elevator, so she guessed that the receptionist decided which floor that on goers got off on. She figured by the 50th floor she would be close to the top, but it until she reached the 72nd that she finally heard a light ding. As the elevator opened she was confronted with a pair of dark double doors. She thought about knocking, but it was likely that the judgemental lady downstairs had let her boss know she was coming. She pushed the doors open and pulled out her notepad and pencil.

 

“I assume you’re here for the interview?”

 

Kara looked up quickly. Why did she feel like she’d heard that voice before?

 

“Yes, I am. I’m here with CatCo media.”

 

“Likewise.”

 

Kara couldn’t see anything but the arm of the person she was talking to. The rest of the girl was hidden by the computer and desk between them.

 

“Let's get this over with then.” Kara snapped. She was surprised at her outburst and after a moment of silence apologized, “Sorry. Long night.”

 

“Well you are right, we best finish this quickly.” The voice spun around in the chair and stood up.

 

Kara squinted and watched as she made her way around her desk. 

 

As she approached Kara with an outstretched hand she said, “My name is…”

 

“Lena.” Kara finished.

 

All of the air seemed to escape her lungs. She saw pieces of the night before. This girl. Lena. Her. _What. The. Hell._ She had… They had…  Kissed. The bar. She had been there. Kara followed her away and they had… _WHAT THE HELL_ she screamed at herself internally. Kara ran a shaking hand through her tangled hair and turned around.

 

The lady in front of her looked shocked momentarily before saying, “I'm sorry. Have… Have we met before?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love you guys. Don't forget to yell at me in the comments and leave a kudos. 
> 
> The explanation will come in the next chapter. It will probably be done in a few days, so stick around.


	3. Lost Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why didn't Lena recognize her? Was she really that forgettable?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while, but I wanted to give you guys a tad of resolution

Kara stopped. Trying to figure out if she’d heard Lena wrong.

 

She whipped around quickly to look at Lena’s face before saying with a cross of hurt and confusion, “You don't remember me?”

 

How could she not remember? It must have been maybe twelve hours ago. Was she really not that memorable? She realized that they were both drunk, but the hair, the eyes, it was her. It had to be. It couldn’t have been anyone else on the planet. Yet, for some reason, the woman looked at her like a stranger.

 

“Where have we met?”

 

Blood immediately flushed to her face and she looked down at the floor and adjusted her glasses accordingly. Maybe she couldn’t remember the night before either. Kara couldn’t remember much due to her weird drink, but this girl was not an alien. She didn't think so anyway.

 

She kept her voice steady. “We ran into each other at a bar.”

 

“Are you sure it was me? Because I’m sure I would remember you.”

 

Kara blushed harder than before and made eye contact with Lena. She would be so embarrassed to tell a stranger about last night. But this was her Lena. It had to be.

 

“It couldn’t have been anyone else.”

 

“When did we meet each other?”

 

Still looking at Lena, she spoke softly, “Last night.”

 

“Impossible.”

 

The reply shocked her. How. What? Questions flooded her head, but it was all just loud, painful noise. The only question she could form was, “Why?”

 

“Well, I didn’t leave this building until two this morning. We ratified a deal with a well-known energy company. Isn’t that what you came here to interview me about?”

 

“Uhh… Yes. Yes. The… That.”

 

Kara wasn’t sure whether to cry or to scream at herself. It hadn’t been her. But it had been. How? Her head was telling her something that couldn’t have been true.

 

Lena didn’t entirely care that this reporter was distraught. If anything, a real reporter would have shown up to meet the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company in more than jeans and a t-shirt.

 

Kara straightened and attempted to pull herself together.

 

She felt crazy. Her left hand gripped her leg, searching for something real to hang onto. She currently was sat across from a girl she kissed… a lot… last night. What made things worse was that said girl didn’t remember it. It made no sense.

 

Kara somehow managed to get through the interview without having some sort of anxiety attack. She half paid attention to what she was writing down. She needed to talk to Winn. He had been there with her, he had seen Lena too.

 

***

 

“Winn!” Kara called out.

 

A distant, “Yeah?” came from a row of desks.

 

Kara was with him within the second. “Winn. We need to talk.”

 

“Yeah? Uh sure.”

 

Nearly dragging him behind her, she led them into an empty room.

 

“Kara, what’s this about? Are you okay?”

 

“I… I don't know Winn. I thought that… and she just… what happened? I don't know anymore.”

 

“Don't know what? Kara. What’s going on?”

 

Kara collapsed into a nearby chair and rested her head in her hands. “What happened last night?”

 

“At the bar?” Winn specified.

 

Kara didn't answer, instead nodding into her hands.

 

“Well, Maggie and Alex tricked me into drinking a horrid concoction. I’m pretty sure they went and played pool with each other for a while. I saw you sitting with the bartender, Gus. Right? Anyways, I met a girl, Lyra, and we hit it off.”

 

“and?”

 

“I mean I don’t think you want me to disclose anything further about my night.”

 

“Why?”

 

Winn looked down, red tinting his features, “Lyra and I really hit it off.”

 

“So, what. You got her number, drank for a while?”

 

At this point, Winn was a pretty flustered mess, “So… we left and went to her place for drinks.”

 

“No,” Kara said.

 

“What?”

 

“Lena. Do you remember her?”

 

Winn looked confused and slightly shook his head.

 

“The girl who stopped Alex’s almost bar fight? Pretty? You sat with me when it happened. You were with me when we met.”

 

“Kara. I don't know what to tell you. I only know one Lena, and even then, I don't know her, know her. I just know who she is.”

 

“No, you have to.”

 

“Kara I left the bar. I'm sorry, but I wasn’t there. I don't think what you remember actually happened.”

 

She couldn’t breathe, she was trying not to cry, her throat hurt and ached. She knew that if she let it go she wouldn’t stop. What happened. Was it real? It sure felt real to her.

 

“Are you going to be okay?” Winn asked.

 

“I don’t know Winn.”

 

After a few moments, she felt Winn’s arm around her shoulders. She quickly adjusted herself so that her head rested on his shoulder, allowing him to hold her tighter. Winn didn’t make her talk about it, didn’t question her, he just comforted her. That was all she really needed at the moment.

 

***

  
Kara looked from her phone to the grungy alley and back to her phone. The place sure looks different in the light, she thought. She had managed to get Alex to tell her the address of the mysterious dive bar that they had attended the day/night before.

 

She didn’t quite know how to approach the situation. Should she knock? Is there a doorbell… of sorts?

 

As she paused at the door a small opening slid away, revealing a small space in the door.

 

She bent slightly and looked through the hole to see the torso of someone or something waiting behind the door.

 

“Hi, there!” She chirped, “May I come in?”

 

Only a grunt greeted her in reply.

 

Alex had given a password. She didn’t know a password.

 

“Uh. I don’t have the password bu…” She was cut off by the small metal opening slamming shut in an instant.

 

“Hey!” She called.

 

After a few moments, she gently knocked at the door again.

 

The hatch slowly opened again. This time she called out, “Is Gus here? I’m a friend of his.”

 

At this, the ‘bouncer’ or whatever slowly closed the hatch.

 

Kara sighed and turned around, ready to give up on this whole ordeal.

 

She was hoping the kind bartender could help her where her friends hadn’t. If anything, he was the only one sober through this whole thing.

 

“Ms. Kara...io?”

 

Kara’s eyes widened and she turned around quickly, a smile blossoming across her face.

 

“Gus!” She ran and hugged him briefly. He stood stock still, not really responding.

 

“Did you need me for something? I'm glad you're doing okay. I don't know what planet you’re from but you can handle your drinks.”

 

“Gus. As great as it is to see you… I need help.”

 

Gus looked at her for a few seconds and tilted his head, motioning for her to come inside.

 

Kara stepped into the building while Gus followed behind her, closing the door behind them.

 

Gus moved behind the bar and rested his arms on the counter in front of Kara while she sat at the bar. The place was an entirely different scene than the night before, the lights were on and bright unlike the dim and vaguely colorful lighting from the night before. The patrons ate sandwiches and fries while laughing over a late lunch. It looked like a cafe of sorts. Kara enjoyed it.

 

“It is quite different isn’t it,” Gus said, drawing her attention back to the reason she had come.

 

“What?”

 

“I agree. The place is different during the day. We try to make people comfortable.”

 

Kara sat up straighter at his comment.

 

“I apologize, did I make you uncomfortable? I… Most people don't like when I do that… you just said…”

 

“Yes! Yeah! I remember that, took me by surprise for a moment. The whole mind-reading thing. I have a friend who can do that. Easy to forget.”

 

Gus looked at his hands and started cleaning some of the glasses that were to his right.

 

“I know why you’re here,” He stated quietly.

 

“I can imagine. It’s all that I’ve been thinking about since I woke up.”

 

“I don’t quite know what you want me to tell you… Well, I do, obviously, but I don't quite understand it myself.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“What I mean Ms. Kara is that I’m not sure exactly how to tell you what happened. What I saw was not what you saw.”

 

“Gus,” Kara pulled her eyebrows together and watched him as he seemed to avoid her gaze.

 

“Would you mind me asking what you remember. Just think about last night. I can try to help you.”

 

Kara looked at the counter and thought about the night before. The drinks, the fight, the girl, the…

 

Her eyes shot up and her cheeks flushed as she made eye contact with Gus.

 

“It’s okay, I do not hold any reservations or opinions about any of my patrons. I understand that you are anxious. What about that night is bothering you.”

 

Kara thought about how to put her thoughts into words. Why didn’t the girl remember her? She had been there. Did she forget? Did she…

 

“Ms. Kara.”

 

Gus’ voice pulled her out of her thoughts and she looked up and met his gaze once again.

 

“I’ll try my best to answer your questions, but first let me tell you something.”

 

Kara slumped back in her seat and watched him anxiously.

 

“As a mind-reading bartender, I tend to know more about people’s thoughts than they would probably like me to. I understand that I try my hardest to act normal and take orders without paying attention. And I um…” He paused and cleared his throat, “Well, being able to see in the mind of an intoxicated person or alien or whatever is a strange thing for me. They often see things differently, whether it's blurry or spinning I can see it from their point of view. But you… I had never seen anything quite like it.”

 

Kara chewed on her lip and picked at the hem of her shirt. Scared to have freaked out a fucking alien bartender. She could only imagine the thing’s he had seen.

 

“Now, I’ve seen it happen before, somewhat. Maybe just not to the same extent. There was a man who had the Elixir that you had last night, only one, however. Regardless, the man started watching all of our glasses turn into large snails that everyone would carry around and drink out of somehow.”

 

Kara wrinkled her nose in disgust picturing snails serving as glassware for customers. How could you even drink out of a snail…? She shivered at the thought and turned back to Gus.

 

“I...Well… obviously, there were no snails, he had been seeing things. You know, hallucinations, as they call it here. It makes you see things that nobody else can. And… Ms. Kara, you happened to see a few things that were not seen by anyone else… but for me.”

  
Kara opened her mouth and promptly closed it again. She repeated this a few times before Gus chimed in.

 

“How much was real? From what I can tell from your night, as I only happened to have a conversation with you and not your friends… and sister, I can only know what you know from that night. I know for a fact that there was no ‘almost confrontation’ with our bouncer and your sister. I also know that when you and your friend… Winn? Is it? Ordered drinks, he was not next to you. I could see that you saw him, but he didn’t touch his drink did he? You were talking to the chair’s space.”

 

“Gus…”

 

“With what seems to be Ms. Lena Luthor, I believe that that may have been a fantasy of yours.”

 

“Pfht… why would I have a fantasy about her Gus? I don't know her! I talked to her earlier today. She had to have been there! We talked. We. We. We.”

 

“Yes, Ms. Kara I understand. However, you came here for answers, I have no explanation for why or what you happened to see. I can just explain why nobody you may have thought you talked to will remember your conversations.”

 

“Hallucinations. I cant… no, there has to be some stupid…”

 

“Ms. Kara I don't know what else I could tell you. All I know about them myself is that they can be influenced by anything you’ve seen or heard. I believe that you know about Ms. Luthor and your mind may have filled in the blanks for you.”

 

“I have to… I have to go.”

 

“I understand. I hope you figure things out.” Gus watched her leave and sighed, he felt like a therapist, but she was sweet.

 

Kara ducked out of her chair and flashed a small smile and nod at the bouncer as she raced out the door. She leaned on the wall just outside of the entrance to the building and looked up at the sky. She didn’t know what came over her, but she texted snapper what she was going to do and didn’t wait for his reply before she called L Corp’s offices and scheduled a follow-up interview in two days time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemme know what you think. Who's mad? Who's still confused (sorry). Does anybody want more?

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think. If you enjoyed leave a kudos and stick around. let me know if you have any suggestions. Tumblr: clexa-rules-the-earth


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